Lib at Large: Bolinas band Sage honors its late mentor

ON AN EARLY SUMMER AFTERNOON in 2005, a 28-year-old surfer and carpenter named Sage McCollum was killed in a skateboarding accident in Bolinas. After he crashed trying to maneuver around a pickup, he was helicoptered to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, but he never regained consciousness and died of head injuries.

Sage had been an ardent supporter of the band his younger brother, Dave Polo, was in the process of forming with his childhood friend, Josh Schiaretti. On Thursday nights, they'd play at Smiley's, the historic saloon in downtown Bolinas. But they were so new on the scene that they didn't have a name for their budding group.

"We couldn't think of a name, so we asked Sage to think of one for us," Schiaretti recalled. "He said he would, then the accident happened. We were all at the hospital the night he died, and we said, 'Let's name the band Sage in his honor.' So he did get us a name in the end."

McCollum, who was born in Stinson Beach, was given a traditional surfer's funeral. His friends and family paddled out past the surf line on their boards, formed a circle and tossed flowers into the ocean in his memory. Then they gathered around a bonfire on Bolinas Beach to sing and tell stories.

"Sage was quite a character," Polo said. "He was a big inspiration for Josh and me, pushing us into music."

Polo, who's 29, and Schiaretti, 27, had grown up in Hawaii and had been playing ukuleles together since they were kids. On the beach that evening, they took out their ukes and began to play. Ben Pfeiffer, a member of the Marin band Chrome Johnson, went and got his acoustic bass out of his truck and joined in. It was the first time the three musicians had played together.

"Sage kept on telling us we had to play with Ben," Schiaretti remembered. "He said, 'He's the guy for you.'"

Added Polo, "And he was right. We had this solid connection with Ben from that first moment. Right then, we told him, 'You're our bass player whether you like it or not.'"

The trio recorded a homespun first album on the island of Oahu, selling it to their fans when they returned to the mainland and began playing gigs in the Bay Area, adding drummer Dana Miller.

As they gained experience over the past four years, their songs and sound began to fuse the city energy of San Francisco with the laid-back vibe of Bolinas and Hawaii. They call it "island rhythm and rock."

And they're unique in that instead of being a guitar band, as most traditional rock groups are, Sage's two frontmen sing and play ukuleles at a time when the ukulele is enjoying a phenomenal, worldwide surge in popularity.

"It's cool to see the ukulele coming into the mainstream, to see it popping up on the mainland with a major artist like Eddie Vedder coming out with a uke album and other artists using ukuleles tracks on their songs," Schiaretti remarked. "We're in perfect position to catch this wave, drop in and ride it full force."

Sage's commercial potential has not escaped the notice of the music industry. The band has been signed by WorldSound, a Seattle-based independent label with an office in Hawaii. Their debut album for WorldSound, "Sweet Melody," the title track written by Schiaretti, was released for digital download this week. It was produced by Keith Olsen, who produced the Grateful Dead's 1977 album "Terrapin Station" and is one of the most prolific and successful music producers in the country.

"It's been interesting going from being beach boys hanging out every day with our friends — surfing, diving, barbecuing, selling coconuts — to going into full business mode, learning as we go," Polo said. "It's like swimming with sharks. But we've done a lot to educate ourselves in the way of the music world, and Keith Olsen, who's been there and done that, has been a font of knowledge."

Along with a roster of local bands, Sage performs at 5 p.m. July 16 at the sixth annual Far West Fest, a daylong benefit concert on Love Field in Point Reyes Station that has raised more than $100,000 for local charities.

As they enter this exciting new stage in their career, Polo and Schiaretti can't help but think that their band's namesake would be proud of all they've accomplished in the six years since he left them.

"Sage was one of those guys who said if you want something, go out and get it," Schiaretti recalled. "He wasn't afraid to try things, to bomb the big waves. He always brought good vibes. And they live on."